Prilosec Causes Heartburn For Welfare State

Jun 23, 2003

A woman named Debbie called in on her cell phone to scream at me for “looking at this logically,” saying she was on a “fixed income.” I said, “I don’t mean to be intrusive or rude here, but if you’re on a fixed income, what are you doing with a cell phone?” She was outraged! I’m sorry, but it’s not wrong to ask if she has some spending she could cut to pay for this drug if she needs it so badly, or if she was one of the many people who take Prilosec so they can continue to eat and imbibe what they enjoy. I know, that’s cruel and heartless. It’s also true. We used to cut back if we needed something. Now – whether it’s the government or individuals – people say they can’t possibly reduce spending or do with less. No, they demand that someone else pay for their Rolaids. Another man called me to say that this was a boon for him, because he’s been paying the prescription price for the pills and will benefit from this reduction in cost. Yet another gave me the perspective from the insurance industry.We used to hear that people were choosing between dog food and lifesaving medications. Now they’re outraged if we ask them to choose between an antacid and cutting out fatty foods or a cell phone or cable. The first thing people do today is demand someone else pay for what they want so they don’t have to make any adjustments in their lives. Prilosec is called a miracle drug, yet people won’t pay $1 a day for it – much less cut out the lifestyle choices which cause heartburn. No, you want your neighbors to pay for it. If that’s the case, go door do door asking for $1 a day. Don’t force the government to take the money out of their wallets so they have to do with less.